An interesting news report on the 125th anniversary of the Chicago el trains.They are running two of their vintage sets today.
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CTA, Chicago Transit Authority... great band!
PRR Man posted:CTA, Chicago Transit Authority... great band!
Except, they had to change their name to Chicago to avoid legal action by the real CTA.
Rusty
Worked for them almost 30 years , broke in on the 6000 series up to the 3200 series .
Was chosen with another fella to operate first train out of the new "Midway line" picking up only dignitaries such as the Mayor of Chicago etc .
Working for them was good experience along with some bad and some very sad ones as well.
ATU Local 308 Member
Growing up in South Cook County it was an adventure when my mother would take me on a train ride to downtown Chicago in the 1950's, first the Safeway Bus to the IC Station on Harwood Ave. in Homewood, then the old green heavyweight IC Cars with the wicker seats to Randolph Street, and finally walking around the Loop the CTA elevated L structure with the riveted beams and columns always fascinated me. Fast forward to 2017 the Safeway Bus Lines was merged into PACE, the IC Electric today is the METRA Electric District and after 125 years the L structure is still the L structure quite an achievement.
Happy Birthday to a subway system I have always admired! (Next to my own of course NYCTA)
I rode from Albany Park to the "Loop" during the mid 40's / early 50's, on the the Ravenswood Line. (Started at Kimball and Lawrence Avenues.)
I felt the Ravensood Line got all the "hand me downs" from the Jackson Park / Englewood Lines. The newer equipment always went to them. During those years, the Line ran the old brown wooden cars with steel truss rods underneath, open wire vestibule ends sporting bi-fold wire doors. (The cars knuckles these cars had somekind of interlocking hooks simular to those found on the post war American Flyer cars.)
Off peak hours, there were 2 car trains. During rush hour the Ravenswood Line did run 6 cars, maybe 8. Depending on the time of day, one conductor cared for 2 car ends. That meant it would take one man or as many as 7 men plus the motorman to run one train.
At each stop he'd open the gates by standing between the cars and pulling on a handle. Somehow he signaled the motorman who sat on a wooden stool in the front right corner of the lead car.
I remember riding on the open platform in the summer time. No one messed around or did any damage like the kids are enclined to do today.
Great Memories!
Nice video report from the Chicago Tribune showing the vintage cars running for the 125th anniversary.Too bad I didn't know they were going to run vintage cars for the event.I am on vacation and would have loved to see the cars run by in person.
I'm old enough to remember riding the Green Hornets on 63rd Street over to catch the L downtown at the Loomis Street terminus. Then we'd pick up 4000 or 6000 cars for the trip downtown. I also remember red cars in service on 63rd. I think 63rd St. went to buses in 1953. Rode the CTA on all of its lines at one time or another, on the L, in the subway, and at ground level, the trolley buses, propane buses, and whatever. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CTA!
By the way, one of the better websites for CTA L and streetcar pictures (and many other systems as well) is https://thetrolleydodger.com/
Another is http://www.chicago-l.org/
Dan986 posted:PRR Man posted:CTA, Chicago Transit Authority... great band!
I still have the first album on vinyl.
Yep, one of my favorite bands....I've got a bunch of their vinyl, snap, crackle, pop!
